iPhone 15 Pro could be Apple’s most expensive smartphone yet, rumours suggest

Apple fans may want to start saving their money for what could be the most expensive iPhone ever. 

According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu based in Hong Kong, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be more expensive than previous Pro models. 

Apple has raised the prices for the two Pro models this year due to big hardware updates, including a titanium frame and an A17 Bionic chip, he claims. 

Although Pu didn’t reveal exact price-tags, it’s worth noting that last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max started at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively. 

Rumours about the iPhone 15 are heating up prior to a September launch, following what may be the best view yet of the device. 

According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu based in Hong Kong, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be more expensive than previous Pro models. Pictured is last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max 

iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are seen at an Apple store in New York, September 16, 2022. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max started at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively – but Apple is reportedly raising the price for the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro models

Pu’s predictions – which were allegedly detailed in a document seen by MacRumors – corroborate an unverified post on Chinese social media site Weibo by a user called ‘Technology window’. 

The Weibo post says: ‘Apple will increase the price of this year’s iPhone 15 Pro series, further widening the gap with the iPhone 15 Plus.’

Just like last year, Apple is expected to launch four iPhone models in September 2023 – the standard version, which will be the cheapest, as well as iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

According to some reports, Apple has decided to change the name of the iPhone Pro Max this year to ‘iPhone Ultra’, although it’s still considered one of its two ‘Pro’ models (meaning it’ll have more power and greater capabilities, as well as a higher price-tag).

Various sources are divided as to whether prices for the iPhone 15 family will be higher than iPhone 14, although one report from Taiwan’s United Daily News says the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be RMB 20,000, equivalent to $2,900 or £2,300. 

However, Patently Apple calls this price rumour ‘a propaganda campaign’ started by Apple’s rivals in an attempt to direct them towards Chinese-made smartphones. 

A YouTube video claims to show a dummy unit of iPhone 15 Ultra – the most expensive of the upcoming iPhone 15 range that is expected to be released this September

As the video host compares the iPhone 15 dummy with iPhone 14 Pro Max, initially the two don’t seem that different – they have a similar camera set-up and the same dimensions – but on further inspection there are notable differences 

Regardless of what the new iPhone 15 will cost, it seems certain Apple is introducing some substantial design changes this year. 

Previous leaks have already suggested the iPhone 15 family has a thinner bezel, thicker camera bumps and more curved edges, as well as a USB-C charging port instead of a Lightning charging port. 

Lightning is Apple’s own proprietary charging technology, but the tech giant has had to discontinue it on its iPhones due to legislation passed last October by the EU. 

Pu also claims the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a periscope lens for increased optical zoom on its camera. 

What’s more, the recent Weibo post claims Dynamic Island – a feature introduced last year with just the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max – will feature on all iPhone 15 models.

Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped notch at the top of the screen that hides the front-facing camera but also changes size to show important alerts, notifications and activities – blurring the boundary between hardware and software. 

Meanwhile, a video posted by YouTube channel Unbox Therapy earlier in May claims to show a dummy unit of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone 15 Ultra, depending on what name Apple has gone for). 

Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped black notch that conceals the front-facing camera but also changes size to show important alerts, notifications and activities

The dummy phone has a ‘matt’ back surface, rather than a slick, shiny surface, and what feels like ‘brushed aluminum edges’, according to the YouTube host.

The dummy also has a USB-C port instead of Lightning, strongly suggesting that Apple has had to comply with the EU law. 

A previous leak of iPhone 15 renders already suggested it will be the first iPhone without physical buttons on the side, which are used to turn off the device, control volume, take screenshots, activate Siri and more. 

Instead of physical buttons that move, iPhone 15 models will have haptic buttons – those that provide tactile sensations such as vibrations when users apply pressure with their finger, the leak suggested. 

However, the new Unbox Therapy video shows that the physical buttons still remain on the dummy – implying haptic buttons will not arrive after all. 

Apple releases a new iPhone every year to much fanfare. The iPhone 15 models will likely be released in September 2023 

iPhones currently use Apple’s proprietary power connector technology ‘Lightning’ (top right). But Apple will have to comply with a new EU law that makes USB-C (bottom right) the EU standard. This means iPhones sold in EU countries will have to come with USB-C instead of Lightning – although it looks like Apple is just embracing USB-C regardless of where the iPhone 15 is sold to make things simpler 

Meanwhile, the new phone’s volume-up and volume-down buttons on the side will no longer be separate, but be incorporated into one long seesaw-style button, which Hilsenteger refers to as a ‘rocker’.

Overall, the YouTuber called the new device ‘incredible’ and ‘one of the best-looking models I’ve ever handed or looked at’. 

Apple is gearing up to release another huge product this year – its first ever virtual reality (VR) headset. 

VR enthusiast and entrepreneur Palmer Luckey described the headset as ‘so good’ earlier this week.